Parental rights trial underway for Portland man charged in death of infant son

Oct. 3, 2012

Keith Thibeault, left, is led into court in Ionia in early September to be arraigned on child abuse and murder charges in connection with the March death of one of his infant sons. / Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

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IONIA — A Portland man accused of killing one of his twin infant sons told police that the infant fell off a couch about an hour before he suddenly stopped breathing.

“I know that’s what you guys are going to get all worked up about,” Keith Thibeault told a police officer as doctors worked to save his 2-month-old son’s life, according to testimony Wednesday.

A jury trial is underway in Ionia County family court that will determine whether Keith Thibeault — who is charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse in his son’s death — and his wife, Nicole, who is not facing charges, will lose their parental rights to Everette’s twin brother.

The day after Everette Thibeault died, the state removed his brother from the home and placed him with relatives. Prosecutors say he was found to have a leg fracture that is consistent with child abuse.

A preliminary hearing surrounding the murder and abuse charges Thibeault, 27, faces is expected to take place next month. That hearing will determine if there is enough evidence for the criminal case to go forward.

One of Thibeault’s attorneys, Tom Chadwick, said during opening statements Wednesday that Everette’s death was an accident.

Doctors, Chadwick said, can only speculate that Everette’s injuries were consistent with child abuse.

“They don’t know what happened. All they can give you is possibly, perhaps or maybe,” he told jurors.

Everette was rushed to Sparrow Hospital the night of March 24 after Thibeault, who was alone caring for the twins, called 911, saying that Everette wasn’t breathing. He died the next morning.

Doctors who examined Everette found several brain injuries, including some that were old, Ionia County Assistant Prosecutor Kristen Stinedurf said during opening statements.

Everette also had suffered a rib fracture “that is very indicative of child abuse,” Stinedurf said.

Thibeault told a police officer during an interview at the hospital that he was feeding Everette and his twin brother on a couch, and had turned his attention to the twin, when Everette somehow fell to the floor.

Thibeault’s wife, a nurse, was working a night shift.

According to testimony, Everette was fine until about an hour later, when Thibeault was putting both boys to bed. Thibeault said that Everette had been crying, so he picked him up, placed him on a bed and began working his legs in a “bicycle motion.”

At some point, Everette’s breathing started becoming erratic, his eyes began to “jerk” and he began to vomit. Eventually, he stopped breathing and Thibeault called 911.

Testimony also revealed that Everette had been extremely sick in the month before he died. He was repeatedly vomiting and was diagnosed with acid reflux. The infant was seen by a doctor about half a dozen times.

Chadwick said in opening statements that Everette had suffered an earlier head injury — possibly caused during birth — which made it more likely that the second injury from falling of the couch was more severe.

Nicole Thibeault had complications during the birth of the twins that led to her having an emergency C-section.

She testified Wednesday that she now believes her husband is responsible for Everette’s death.